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Should I mention my KFC job in my UCAS app?

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Original post by PQ
I'd rate "ability to make a zinger burger" pretty high on my list of useful skills tbh :wink:

OP - You MUST declare all paid employment (and ONLY paid employment) in the employment section. And much as I rate popcorn chicken it's not worth mentioning in your PS.

you could pull it off --> talk about time management skills etc. some people do talk about their part time jobs in their applications - i talked about my part time job as a barista and got offers from four rg unis (bristol, notts, glasgow, manc)
Original post by angelinahx
you could pull it off --> talk about time management skills etc. some people do talk about their part time jobs in their applications - i talked about my part time job as a barista and got offers from four rg unis (bristol, notts, glasgow, manc)

Lots of people talk about that in their PS. It's not very useful or helpful. Your PS is unlikely to have been used at the point where you were made offers or not.
Original post by angelinahx
you could pull it off --> talk about time management skills etc. some people do talk about their part time jobs in their applications - i talked about my part time job as a barista and got offers from four rg unis (bristol, notts, glasgow, manc)

You got your offers despite wasting that space in your PS, not because you mentioned something of value.
Original post by Good bloke
You got your offers despite wasting that space in your PS, not because you mentioned something of value.

i literally talked about how i was promoted to the position of team leader, how i managed a team in london of 12 people at 17 (similarly to how f*ckwit posh kids talk about being head girl and get offers from oxbridge) and how that has taught me leadership skills + time management skills. i also talked about how i've done work for national newspapers and independently written an opinion column about the presidency of donald trump and the consequent emergence of an american crimmigration system which is related to my chosen subjects, how i've won national debate tournaments in my home country and travelled to brussels to partake in the european youth parliament, how i've backpacked around the world independently and what that has taught me about the influence of political governance on real lives, the world monuments ive visited which provided me with insights into how nations can build themselves up after political catastrophe, how ive attended cambridge + lse politics conferences + masterclasses. you don't know anything but go off.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by angelinahx
you don't know anything but go off.

Yes, jolly good. We are not discussing achievements and interests that are relevant to the subject. We are discussing whether flipping burgers is relevant and useful enough to take up space in a PS. Two people with pretty authoritative experience on the subject of the PS have, in this thread, disagreed with you. The OP can make up his or her own mind.
Original post by Good bloke
Yes, jolly good. We are not discussing achievements and interests that are relevant to the subject. We are discussing whether flipping burgers is relevant and useful enough to take up space in a PS. Two people with pretty authoritative experience on the subject of the PS have, in this thread, disagreed with you. The OP can make up his or her own mind.

you said i wasted space in my statement. stop assuming sh*t you have literally no understanding nor no knowledge about. you did the same with OP. op could easily talk about how the part time job reveals leadership qualities, skills she gained which are relevant to the subject (meeting people from around the world, seeing young people in leadership positions, which changed her opinion on x subject , communication skills etc which could be v relevant esp if applying for a social science). this shouldn't be given more than a sentence but if she wanted to she could pull it off and people have and do.
(edited 4 years ago)
i wouldn't mention it on your personal statement unless its relevant to your courses or you can BS some skills you learnt (e.g. teamwork, people skills) (try and find specific examples of how you learnt this, (e.g. "resolving interpersonal issues within a team" is just sorting out an argument between colleagues), but in your application it'd be fine.
best of luck with your ucas application!!
Original post by angelinahx
op could easily talk about how the part time job reveals leadership qualities,

Of course the OP could. Everyone can do as they wish. But this is a risible claim and a complete waste of space. Leadership is not exactly a key requirement of an undergraduate student anyway.
Reply 28
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Original post by magz2001
I'm working part-time at KFC (only on weekends and holidays) during my last high school year here in Sweden. Should I mention this job in my UCAS or is it looked down upon?


Ofcourse as it is useful,also because it demonstrates a variety of skills even if u don't necessarily think that but go ahead if you think it's most appropriate yhhhh
Original post by Good bloke
Of course the OP could. Everyone can do as they wish. But this is a risible claim and a complete waste of space. Leadership is not exactly a key requirement of an undergraduate student anyway.

People literally talk about being head boys/head girls to signify leadership qualities on their personal statements, your elitism is showing
Original post by angelinahx
People literally talk about being head boys/head girls to signify leadership qualities on their personal statements, your elitism is showing


I know they do. They are wasting space too.
Reply 31
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magz2001
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Honestly how old are some of the people on this thread? cuz I notice some trolls if not some children... please take your problems/arguing outside this thread, I was just asking a simple question that requires a simple answer... and some people should stop taking things too personally :s-smilie:

Anyways thanks for those who helped out! I'm gonna mention it in my UCAS jobs list but not really in my PS just because I'm applying to some competitive schools like Oxford for undergraduate law and so I rather use my characters more wisely!!!
Original post by 14424
Ofcourse as it is useful,also because it demonstrates a variety of skills even if u don't necessarily think that but go ahead if you think it's most appropriate yhhhh

The vast majority of universities and courses aren’t looking for those skills in their applicants.
A PS will be looked at to answer 3 questions:
1) does the applicant demonstrate that they understand what the degree applied for involves?
2) does the applicant demonstrate sufficient interest and motivation to study the subject for 3+ years?
3) does the applicant give specific details to demonstrate any non academic skills required for the course?

Outside of medicine, healthcare, teacher training and similar highly vocational courses there aren’t required non academic skills. #3 is therefore only relevant to a small minority of applications. Academic degrees require academic skills which are demonstrated by qualifications.
Original post by PQ
The vast majority of universities and courses aren’t looking for those skills in their applicants.
A PS will be looked at to answer 3 questions:
1) does the applicant demonstrate that they understand what the degree applied for involves?
2) does the applicant demonstrate sufficient interest and motivation to study the subject for 3+ years?
3) does the applicant give specific details to demonstrate any non academic skills required for the course?

Outside of medicine, healthcare, teacher training and similar highly vocational courses there aren’t required non academic skills. #3 is therefore only relevant to a small minority of applications. Academic degrees require academic skills which are demonstrated by qualifications.

This is the most valuable response in this thread and I hope those drafting their PS’s take note.


Vague statements about leadership and communication skills are waffle and are ignored. Please believe me that they are not included in the scoring criteria and are indeed, a waste of space.

To answer the OP’s question: yes, you should list all paid employment, and no, it won’t be looked down upon because a) you’re likely to be seventeen so any work you are doing is likely to be of the menial variety and b) this section is barely glanced at during the admissions process.
Reply 34
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14424
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Original post by PQ
The vast majority of universities and courses aren’t looking for those skills in their applicants.
A PS will be looked at to answer 3 questions:
1) does the applicant demonstrate that they understand what the degree applied for involves?
2) does the applicant demonstrate sufficient interest and motivation to study the subject for 3+ years?
3) does the applicant give specific details to demonstrate any non academic skills required for the course?

Outside of medicine, healthcare, teacher training and similar highly vocational courses there aren’t required non academic skills. #3 is therefore only relevant to a small minority of applications. Academic degrees require academic skills which are demonstrated by qualifications.

Although what you are saying is true, showing skills such as teamwork, communication skills etc. whch are shown through this KFC job can be used so it could be appropriate to write about the KFC job yh
Original post by 14424
Although what you are saying is true, showing skills such as teamwork, communication skills etc. whch are shown through this KFC job can be used so it could be appropriate to write about the KFC job yh

Unless those skills are required beyond those shown in academic qualifications for success on a degree (which is a vanishingly small number of degrees) then they will not improve a PS.

They’ll be handy for job applications but a degree is not a job.
Original post by 14424
Yes I meant for CV's etc. not for PS:smile:

So you didn’t read the thread title before deciding to bump an 11 month old thread to tell me I was wrong?

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